Training Explained

To look better than ever before, you need to maximize muscle activation and calorie burn. This six-day-per-week workout, designed by Kevin Lilly, C.S.C.S., owner of Heart & Hustle gym, does just that. Four days per week, you’ll perform three full-body circuits that mix compound weightlifting movements with body-weight and core exercises. This way, you’ll target your major muscles while also jacking up your heart rate so you get a cardiovascular effect, burning more calories. On the other two days, you’ll perform steady-state cardio to torch off even more calories and promote blood flow throughout your body to help aid recovery. If this all sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. But stay in the pocket—eight weeks isn’t a long time, so you need to maximize your efforts.

The Warmup

Perform this entire warmup on all weight-training days. On cardio days, exclude the shoulder pre-exhaust portion. Done correctly, the entire warmup will take 20 minutes: 10 minutes to jog, 5 minutes for the dynamic warmup, and 5 minutes for the shoulder pre-exhaust.

Treadmill Jog – 10 min.

Squat – 20

Pushup – 30

Lunge – 10 per leg

Pushup – 20

Lateral Lunge – 10 per leg

Pushup – 10

Crunch – 20

Jackknife Situp – 10

Front Raise – 10

Lateral Raise – 20

Rear-Delt Raise – 20

Shoulder T Combo* – 10

Reverse Shoulder T Combo** – 10

Plyo Pushup*** – 10

*Raise the dumbbells straight out in front of you as you would for a front raise, then, instead of lowering the weights, spread your arms out to your sides to form a T. Bring the weights back in front of you, then lower them. That’s 1 rep.**Bend over at the hips, keep your back flat, and perform a rear-delt flye. Hold your arms straight out to the sides, then sweep your hands forward straight out in front of you. Bring the weights back to your sides, then lower. That’s 1 rep.***Explosively perform a pushup so that your hands leave the ground as you reach the top position. Don’t land stiff; absorb the impact of the landing by simultaneously lowering yourself into the next rep.

Phase 1 Weekly Routine

Day 1

<p>CIRCUITS 1-2: Repeat circuit 3 times through before moving onto the next circuit. Rest only 20 seconds between each exercise. Rest 3 minutes at the end of each circuit.</p>
<p>CIRCUITS 3: Repeat circuit 5 times. Don't rest between exercises. Rest 1 minute at the end of each circuit.</p>

Day 2

<p>CIRCUITS 1-2: Repeat circuit 3 times through before moving onto the next circuit. Rest only 20 seconds between each exercise. Rest 3 minutes at the end of each circuit.</p>
<p>CIRCUITS 3: Repeat circuit 5 times. Don't rest between exercises. Rest 1 minute at the end of each circuit.</p>

Day 3

Steady-State Cardio

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No

Steady-State Cardio

First, do the warmup. Then perform 40 minutes of cardio, keeping your heart rate at 150 beats per minute.

Day 4

<p>CIRCUITS 1-2: Repeat circuit 3 times through before moving onto the next circuit. Rest only 20 seconds between each exercise. Rest 3 minutes at the end of each circuit.</p>
<p>CIRCUITS 3: Repeat circuit 5 times. Don't rest between exercises. Rest 1 minute at the end of each circuit.</p>

Day 5

<p>CIRCUITS 1-2: Repeat circuit 3 times through before moving onto the next circuit. Rest only 20 seconds between each exercise. Rest 3 minutes at the end of each circuit.</p>
<p>CIRCUITS 3: Repeat circuit 5 times. Don't rest between exercises. Rest 1 minute at the end of each circuit.</p>

Day 6

Steady-State Cardio

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No

Steady-State Cardio

First, do the warmup. Then perform 40 minutes of cardio, keeping your heart rate at 150 beats per minute.